I think you must have missed the comment. There was one that didn’t make a whole lot of sense or seem rational that ended up getting deleted. I just saw a presentation today on drug use in our area and the country as a whole so it is likely that he was on drugs based on the odds of probability alone. The you add in the irrational message and it just makes more sense.

I am curious if certain car models tend to attract buyers who are not good customers later on down the road for mechanics shops and the like? I work on computers/electronics for a living and see certain trends. Gaming consoles attract a really low-class type of person, especially the adult gamers. I mean it is rare to get one in without roaches, cigarette smoke, and just general filth inside of it. Sometimes they even reek of urine which I assume is from their pets.

Wal-Mart computer owners are another bad category although not nearly as bad as the gamers. Cheap no-name TV brands are another bad one but I don’t see a lot of them anymore as I tell people they aren’t even worth it to repair.

The gaming thing stretched mine. I play video games. How else am I supposed to get my racing fix when it’s 10 below and snowing out? And besides, The Witcher 3 is some of the best storytelling out there in any medium.

The only piece of computer equipment I own that isn’t pristine is my garage laptop. It’s got some grease smudges on the keyboard. Does that make me low-class?

I wasn’t trying to offend people but it seems that people are offended at anything these days. First it was Confederate monuments and then the monument to the person many credit with freeing the slaves was vandalized. You cannot make everyone happy.

As for the gamers, I think the consoles are actually made pretty well. They do not break down under normal use where they are not abused very often. So that leaves a disproportionately high sample rate of them coming to me just absolutely disgusting. I think I have only ever worked on one that wasn’t just nasty with roaches, pet urine, cigarettes, and such. Then to add insult to injury, these are the people who expect everything for free and threaten you when you don’t return their equipment without payment. So, yes, I have a pretty negative opinion of console gamers based on the ones I run into. The PC gamers are great and spare no expense to have the latest graphics card, etc. These systems are great and I helped a guy set one up a few weeks ago and he was as nice as can be and made no bones about paying. I am sure my fee was just a tiny fraction of what he spent on the rest of that system.

Then there was the Wal-Mart computer that I had in the car yesterday. The thing was so full of smoke that the tar had crossed pathways on the motherboard and shorted it out, ruining it. My eyes were burning and tearing up from this thing. The person ended up having no money to fix it so I don’t even know why they brought it to me. I require money upfront so all she got was a diagnosis that the computer was shot even though I told her I would apply it towards data recovery. Again, why did she waste her time/money and mine?

Then there are the phones… It is frustrating to have someone with an $800 iPhone not have the money to repair it. At this point I have quit focusing on phones because of all the nonsense.

Then there is this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XO1pIHo9Z9E The mistake that the owner made was not collecting the diagnostic fee UPFRONT when the guy walked in the door. I won’t touch a device without having money in hand.

As for “less than pristine” computers, I have LOTS of them. I try to find a use for computers that are left behind without payment and such. These are often repairable but have cosmetic blemishes that make them impossible to resell for anything more than yardsale prices. Some were also damaged in a way that I wouldn’t feel right reselling them at all or at least after I am sure they are going to hold together after I have used them a while.

I do mapping services as well so could spend a lot of money on a ruggedized unit to collect data in the field or could take several old clunkers with me. One got rained on and ruined the keyboard. This was no problem as I have a couple spares on hand…

Then there are laptops where the screen has been smashed in and such. I use these as media PCs connected to a TV through the HDMI port. You usually have to remove the screen for the computer to work correctly once they are broken. You can make a versatile setup to play all kinds of media this way. I also gave one to my GF so she could load all her movies and watch them right off the computer, stream, and such.

I have something potentially car related that I have been researching over the past few days. I understand that there are now bluetooth OBD scanner dongles that cost like $20. You pair them with a computer or smart phone and have a full featured scanner for a fraction of their normal price. Consider the computer or phone as being free to me since I have them on hand.

This is another potential use I have been thinking about for some of my extra laptops and smart phones laying around. Anyone have any ideas? This seems like a good use for a “beater” computer or phone.

Yeah, I didn’t figure they would be like a Snap On or a dealer specific tool but figured they might be “good enough” for most of what I would need to do. It was described to me as providing real time data. Is that true? Also, is the one pictured mainly for MOPAR cars? I know most use the same basic codes but was wondering if it is specific to MOPARs.

it seems that people are offended at anything these days. First it was Confederate monuments

I guess that those who are offended at the continued presence of memorials to Confederates (who–by waging war against The United States, in violation of their military oath–were traitors) are just thin-skinned people who don’t like the presence of monuments to those who have committed treason against their nation. Why would any reasonable person be offended by memorials and monuments celebrating the lives of traitors?
Go figure!

But, here is a point on which almost everyone can agree, namely that our country desperately needs new infrastructure. Without new and improved roads, our cars will continue to suffer damage to the suspension and tires, and we will continue to waste gas by sitting in traffic jams that would be avoidable if we had improved infrastructure. So, I am sending a letter to The POTUS, urging him to include the following aids to transportation in his upcoming infrastructure legislation:

We need new investments in roads, bridges, and airports, so this is a perfect way to honor more traitors to our country, while improving transportation for all. And, we need to bring historical monuments up to date, so…Why continue to honor solely the Confederates who committed Treason against The United States, without including more recent traitors? Failing to honor more recent traitors would be–in effect–an attempt at rewriting history.

This would be a win-win for almost everyone by improving infrastructure and honoring more of the treasonous people that a segment of our society seems to worship. And, it would allow The POTUS to be consistent in his admiration for treasonous people.